2011/12/12

People Look East, An Advent Carol

We sang this lovely carol at mass this morning. I'd never heard it before.

1. People, look east. The time is near
Of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the guest, is on the way.

2. Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,
One more seed is planted there:
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
That in course the flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the rose, is on the way.

3. Birds, though you long have ceased to build,
Guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen
God for fledging time has chosen.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the bird, is on the way.

4. Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim
One more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather,
Bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the star, is on the way.

5. Angels, announce with shouts of mirth
Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming
With the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today:

Love, the Lord, is on the way.

"People, Look East" was written by Eleanor Farjeon
(1881-1965) and was first published as "Carol of Advent" in Part 3 of
"Modern Texts Written for or Adapted to Traditional Tunes" in The
Oxford Book of Carols, 1928. Farjeon, a native of London, was a devout
Catholic who viewed her faith as "a progression toward which her spiritual
life moved rather than a conversion experience." (The Presbyterian
Hymnal Companion, p. 323) She achieved acclaim as an author of children's
nursery rhymes and singing games, and is best remembered for her poem
"Morning Has Broken."